Chapter 1656: Heaven and Earth (Part Three)

As these six individuals appeared, some wore expressions of intense vigilance, while others looked lazy, their gazes sweeping across the surroundings with apparent indifference. The grey-robed elder glanced back at the spot where the ripples had formed and gave a casual wave, causing the distortions in the air to vanish instantly.

‘The spatial barrier here is quite thin, and many monitoring arrays have been placed here. Their power is not weak,’ he thought to himself.

The aura emanating from the grey-robed elder was indistinguishable from that of a mortal. Had he not shielded the monitoring arrays just now, their arrival would have immediately alerted every Spirit Transformation cultivator on the Barren Moon Continent the moment they set foot here. A local powerhouse might not care about a stray Nascent Soul cultivator, but the sudden appearance of several Spirit Transformation cultivators would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar.

Every Spirit Transformation cultivator on a continent, regardless of their personal relationships, shared a common responsibility: as long as they remained in that world, they had to protect it. However, because their cultivation was suppressed by the laws of the world, they could not exert their full power. Even their Divine Sense, if not suppressed, could not cover every corner of the land. Consequently, they would often join forces to set up vast arrays at the weakest points of the spatial barrier.

These arrays were linked to their minds, much like a soul lamp sensing a spirit. Thus, even without using their Divine Sense, they could sense anomalies within the array’s range. This time, however, when the grey-robed elder and his group entered, the local Spirit Transformation cultivators of the Barren Moon Continent sensed nothing at all.

The grey-robed elder withdrew the Divine Sense he had cast over the area. There were no other people nearby, only some sea demons, the strongest of which were merely at the third rank. In the instant his Divine Sense swept past them, the sea demons’ seas of consciousness collapsed, and they died instantly.

He looked back at the six people behind him: three at the Spirit Transformation stage and three at the Nascent Soul stage. Even the Nascent Soul cultivators were all at the late-stage of their realm.

“Once we reach the Ghost-Severing Sect, I will temporarily seal the aura of that place. You will go inside and find a Nascent Soul cultivator named Li Yan,” the grey-robed elder commanded.

“Understood!” they answered in unison.

Inwardly, these people found it very strange. They guessed the grey-robed elder came from the upper realm. They were here for two reasons: first, they were cowed by the elder’s strength and dared not disobey; second, the elder had promised them various cultivation materials that they desperately craved. They did not know each other’s origins, and the elder forbade them from asking, under threat of severe punishment.

All six came from various minor realms and were considered powerhouses in their own right. Among the three Spirit Transformation cultivators, the highest was at the late-stage, while the others were at the mid and initial stages. In the mortal world, late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators were rare; such people usually ascended recklessly or disappeared without a trace long ago.

The fact that one had appeared here was astonishing. These three Spirit Transformation cultivators had fought the grey-robed elder and been defeated almost instantly. Initially, they thought he was a late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, but upon reflection, they realized something was wrong. A simple spell cast by the elder possessed a level of mastery and power that was utterly peak-tier. His use of the Heavenly Rules was something that even the late-stage expert from the minor realm could not comprehend.

It felt as though such powerful spells should have triggered a rejection from the world’s laws, squeezing the caster out of the plane instantly. Yet, when he used them, nothing happened. This realization had shattered the expert’s confidence, allowing him to be restrained in a single moment.

Having gathered recently, they had exchanged some insights, even if they didn’t share their origins. The three Spirit Transformation cultivators would often mention the profound mysteries of the elder’s techniques. Even the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, who had lived for ages, were sharp-minded. They soon realized the grey-robed elder was not merely at the Spirit Transformation stage; his true power was simply restricted by the mortal world’s laws. The miraculous way he manipulated the rules suggested he likely came from the Immortal Spirit Realm, a thought that filled them with even more dread.

Despite their formidable cultivation, they were ultimately cultivators from minor realms, and their perspective and mindset could not compare to those from major planes. This time, they were being sent to deal with a sect on the Barren Moon Continent. The elder told them the sect might have one or two Spirit Transformation cultivators. However, the target was not the sect’s experts, nor the sect itself; they were simply tasked with finding a cultivator named “Li Yan.”

This baffled them. Given the elder’s strength, even with his power suppressed, he could likely fight off a dozen late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators from the mortal world at once. Why would he need them? It seemed redundant.

They only dared to think these thoughts, never to ask. What they didn’t know was that the grey-robed elder had his own concerns. He could subdue these people because they were experts from obscure minor realms, which carried little political weight. However, he was unwilling to provoke or subdue experts from the top-tier sects of major continents. Those top sects often had their own backing in the upper realm, and their influence was formidable.

The elder’s sect had ambitions, but even dealing with their mortal enemy, the Five Immortals Sect, gave them a massive headache. They didn’t dare to attract more hatred from other quarters. Thus, finding hired hands in minor realms—especially a late-stage Spirit Transformation expert—was a difficult feat.

This was not the Northern Ice Continent, where they had operated for a long time and possessed ample manpower and wealth. To come to the Barren Moon Continent and find the “Miscellaneous Spirit Root” cultivator named Li Yan, he had to adopt this compromise. Once they reached the Ghost-Severing Sect, he would avoid showing his face if possible.

If the Ghost-Severing Sect in the Immortal Spirit Realm learned that the Yin-Yang Primordial Chaos Sect was attacking their foundation in the mortal world, it would lead to a relentless, life-and-death conflict. If word of this leaked, it wouldn’t just be one sect that was upset. First, the other three major sects of the Barren Moon Continent would respond. Then, all the major powers with branches in the mortal world would feel a sense of shared threat, potentially leading to a unified front against him.

If that happened, the grey-robed elder could easily imagine his own fate: his sect would drag him out and execute him publicly to appease the anger of all parties. Conflicts between mortal continents and their internal powers were one thing, but a sect from the Immortal Spirit Realm using its ability to descend to destroy someone’s roots was a line that could not be crossed.

Therefore, the grey-robed elder would not leave any trace of himself. Letting others act was the best way. The experts he recruited had obscure backgrounds and complex origins; if anyone tried to investigate, just finding those minor realms would keep them busy for ages. His primary role was to mask their auras so they could appear suddenly at the Ghost-Severing Sect before the local guardians could react.

Though he wouldn’t act directly, he would stay in the shadows to ensure the target was captured immediately. Afterward, these people would serve as shields and could be discarded at any time; he had already tampered with their memories.

While Qianji and Zi Kun had guarded the weak spatial point in the extreme north, they were powerless to do anything about the South Sea. Thus, someone had entered through this location and left unnoticed over the years…

In a chaotic flow of space, shrouded in pitch-black darkness, a point of light suddenly flickered with extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, the light expanded rapidly, and the space there began to tremble with a low, vibrating hum. Suddenly, the point of light flared, exploding into a burst of blinding white radiance, and two figures stepped out from within.

A shield continuously orbited the two figures. As they stepped out of the light, their Divine Senses quickly swept across the surroundings. The white light behind them shrank and vanished soon after.

“Hmm? This is the chaotic flow. We didn’t land directly inside a realm!” a man’s voice came from within the orbiting shield light. He warily scanned the area, realizing they were in the void rather than their expected destination. Being in the chaotic flow meant the chances of encountering other cultivators were even lower.

“As expected, our cultivation is suppressed!” a woman’s magnetic voice followed.

A slender figure stepped out from the shield’s protective glow, her body coated in a faint light that easily fended off the local astral winds. She was a woman of peerless beauty. As she emerged, the orbiting shield was waved away and stored by the man.

Li Yan sensed the Heavenly Rules of this place. Earlier, when they felt the heavy pressure of the world’s laws, their souls had experienced extreme discomfort. A terrifying power seemed to be awakening, threatening to whisk them away, forcing them to suppress their cultivation even further.

Then, they sensed the exit ahead. Li Yan and Mu Guyue were overjoyed, knowing their journey had finally succeeded. The shield they had used was one Su Hong suggested they buy; not only did it defend against attacks, but it also provided significant protection against the pressure of world laws.

Li Yan withdrew his Divine Sense and looked at his and Mu Guyue’s tattered clothing, a wave of lingering fear washing over him. The journey had been far from smooth. Seven times they had nearly met disaster, either brushing against the edge of a black hole or facing mysterious attacks from void beasts. If they had fallen into one of those black holes, the probability of death was over eighty percent.

Li Yan had not only exerted his Divine Sense, which rivaled the Void Refining stage, but had also secretly circulated the “Five Elements Chaotic Wind” art. He kept it hidden but used it to sense the local five-elemental forces. Since they were traveling through space, different spatial elements were constantly colliding with them. He needed that extra bit of sensitivity to sense impending crises.

If anything felt slightly off, he would stop and change direction immediately. It was precisely the “Five Elements Chaotic Wind” that had allowed him to sense danger beyond what his Divine Sense could detect. Five times, Li Yan realized they had been within a dozen yards of an invisible black hole—a situation that left both of them drenched in cold sweat. A hundred yards or a thousand yards was but an instant’s travel for them… Had they not stopped to investigate carefully, their Divine Sense might have missed the danger until they were already falling in.